Celebrity Biography

abluerwhite

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Say you're working with a celebrity to write a memoir, how much would you ask for? Not as a ghost writer, would it be normal to ask for half of everything?
 

Ruth2

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It depends on a lot of factors. Do you know the celebrity personally? If so, how well? Have you been published before? If so, what is your track record?

Lots of variables.
 

veinglory

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Also how much "everything" is there likely to be. If the celebrity plans to sell publish and wait for money to flow in, I'd be more inclined to ask for a minimum amount in advance.
 

JournoWriter

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How much work will you actually be doing? Will the celeb be writing some sections? Will you be interviewing him/her and turning the result into recognizable English?

Consider that the book wouldn't exist without the celeb, so my knee-jerk response would be that the celeb would probably demand 60+%.
 

abluerwhite

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I know her personally. She approached me and asked me to do it. I'm actually a young writer so this would be my first published book. I have other published works as a journalist but that's it.

She emails me the information I need and I'm turning it into a novel. Really, all of the words are mine. Since I'm doing all of the work I felt that we should split royalties and such 50/50.
 

JournoWriter

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A novel?

The time to discuss such things is before you start writing - and you need to get it in writing. However, if you have a good amount done, she may find it more convenient to agree to your terms than to start over with someone new whom she does not know.

I'm not saying a 60-40 deal would be fair, just that I could see someone demanding it.
 

abluerwhite

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Yes. I plan on meeting with her. And she isn't going to find a new writer.
I was just seeing if 50/50 is fair.